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The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of public and private facilities located a few hours from the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Port of Houston Authority, this port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage and U.S. imports, as well as second in U.S. export tonnage and U.S. total tonnage.

Along with the authority, the Port of Houston contains more than 150 private industrial companies along the Houston Ship Channel. More than 220 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2009 alone, and more than 7,700 vessel calls were recorded at the port in the same year. “Altogether, the port authority and its neighbors along the ship channel are a large and vibrant component of the regional economy,” the authority states.

The Port of Houston Authority is an autonomous governmental entity authorized by a 1927 act of the Texas legislature, the authority says. In 1971, the Texas legislature changed the authority’s name from Harris County Houston Ship Channel Navigation District to its current incarnation while expanding its powers for fire and safety protection along the 50-mile Houston ship channel.

The authority says the Port of Houston has been instrumental in Houston’s development as a center for international trade. Today, about 100 steamship lines link Houston with 1,053 ports in 203 countries. The port also serves as home for a $15 billion petrochemical complex, which is the largest in the United States and second largest in the world, the authority says.

Environmentally Friendly

The Port of Houston Authority says it strives for policies and programs that allow nature and industry to coexist. The authority has developed and implemented award-winning programs that balance the needs of global trade and commerce with local environmental protection, it adds. For in­stance, the port redeveloped Redfish Island, which was a plot of land that had been a favorite anchorage for boaters until it succumbed to subsidence, it says. To combat this, the authority says it has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Beneficial Uses Group – a coalition of federal and state agencies – to lead efforts to rebuild that island.

“Today, it is again a favorite boating destination as well as a bird habitat and rookery,” the authority says. “Port of Houston also designed Redfish Island to encourage oyster growth, to re-establish itself as an oyster reef.

“The port authority is committed to ensuring that port facilities are in compliance with environmental regulations,” the authority states. “More­over, authority staff has been involved in a number of environmental activities, helping to develop programs for using dredge materials in a beneficial manner and for better management of dredge material disposal sites.”

The authority also says its initiated the modernization project to deepen and widen the Houston Ship Channel with the preservation of Galveston Bay in mind. The Port of Houston worked with a coalition of state and federal resource authorities in developing the plan, it says. It also says it received input from environmental and bay interest groups before focusing its strategy on:

• Using only environmentally acceptable methods for the dredge disposal;
• Dredge material as a resource;  and
• A plan that results in long-term “net positive environmental effect” on Galveston Bay.

“Through these diligent methods, the material from the channel bottom has been reborn as the new Redfish Island,” the authority says.

Bringing in Business

One of the authority’s functions is to bring new divisions to the Port of Houston. The authority accomplishes this through its origination and the small business development divisions.

The authority says the origination division is focused on the maintaining relationships with the consuls representing the many countries that conduct business with the port. This division also handles marketing, strategic market planning and customer service for the port. “Origination Division provides the catalyst of bringing new business to the Port of Houston Authority,” the authority says. “The division is responsible for managing the administration and growth of the port’s Foreign Trade Zone.”

The small business development program has been established by the authority to help foster entrepreneurialism in the Houston area. “The Port of Houston Authority recognizes that a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit is vital for a strong economy and leadership in global trade and commerce,” it says.

Another aspect of the Port of Houston is the Bayport Cruise Terminal, which is in Pasadena, Texas. The authority says this terminal began service in the wake of Hurricane Ike in 2008, providing embarkation and disembarkation for two Carnival Cruise Lines ships for more than a month after the ships were displaced from their home port of Galveston.

“Located on the western shores of Galveston Bay, Bayport Cruise Terminal’s proximity to fine restaurants and hotels and access to both regional airports make it an ideal point of disembarkation,” the authority says. “The $81 million state-of-the-art facility combines visual appeal, passenger convenience, accessibility and innovative security systems.”